Author's note:
Hello everyone, happy to be writing again after a short break. I've really had a busy week, but now I'm back at it!
Let's quit wasting time and start reading, shall we?
Chapter 9: First School-day, first date and revealing.
My eyes fluttered open, immediately facing a pair of green eyes. At first I got worried I was facing a creeper-hybrid, but calmed down when recognizing the breath brushing against my face.
'Archer.'
I smiled, until I realized how close our faces were. I blushed a bit and let go, only now remembering our hands being together. I suddenly felt that there wasn't anything behind me and dropped down on the ground, my shoulder hitting the floor hard.
"Everything alright?" Archer asked, looking down from the couch. I groaned as the pain started to subside, attempting to get up. I almost bumped into the sofa, but eventually got up. Archer got up easily, putting his feet down on the floor and standing up nicely. He chuckled as I murmured something under my breath. I felt my stomach growling, hunger now reaching my mind. Archer noticed me rubbing my belly and walked into the kitchen, acting like the whole 'sleeping together on the couch' thing never happened. I blushed, thinking back at what happened yesterday. I heard a door open and Erin walked inside from the bathroom, this time seeming more awake then normal.
"So, how do you feel?" Erin asked, sitting down at the dining table. Archer smiled as he was cooking us breakfast.
"Better, thanks for asking." He responded, taking a few eggs from a box standing in a cabinet. He cracked the eggs open and the content came out, landing on the pan, starting to sizzle as it touched the surface of the pan. The smell of cooked eggs reached my nose, and I licked my lips, glad to be able to eat soon. In Minecraft a meal every time on the day was rare.
We were eating our breakfast. I asked Archer for a second portion, who chuckled before he filled my plate, me almost digging in as soon as he finished.
"Can you actually get fat from eating to much?" He suddenly asked, making the two of us look up with puzzled looks.
"Well, our metabolism might be faster then yours, because we can't get fat. We can eat a lot more then you can, I think." Erin said before taking another bite from her toast. I nodded, having some egg in my mouth. Archer nodded in understanding before going to his own meal.
We all finished together, and Archer stood up from his chair, looking outside. I followed his gaze and noticed that the sun was shining bright, not a cloud in the sky.
"How about we practice when the others are awake." Archer suggested. I nodded happily, really feeling enthusiastic. After a few hours of waiting, watching some TV whilst waiting, Tyler was the first to knock on the door, followed quickly by Sky and Rayleigh. We decided to leave quickly afterwards, walking down the now familiar path towards the amphitheater.
"So, how come you're actually called Sky and your brother Rayleigh?" Erin asked, jumping from a stone and landing soft on her feet. The siblings eyed each other before the younger one smiled, Sky having an angry pout.
"Sky's real name is Saylanca. She doesn't like it so she always wants people to call her Sky. Her parents never expected to have her, so her name was really not well thought about." Tyler said, a small smirk on his face. Sky gave him a glare for telling everyone else before sighing, seeing no point to fight him.
I nodded, trying hard not to laugh. I noticed that Archer was having trouble not laughing to, holding a hand before his mouth.
Finally we reached the amphitheater and uncovered our stuff, happy to find it dry. Tyler, Sky and Erin prepared the stuff, the last thing being the speakers. Tyler plugged the last thing in, assuring that the speakers weren't to loud. Archer grabbed his guitar and was the first to test things out, striking a single snare. The sound was nice, and wasn't to loud. We all smiled, realizing that this was it. I stepped towards the mic, going across the standard with my hand. Sky gave the drums a test, going across every part. A good ba-dum sounded through the area, before everything fell silent again, the sound of birds the only other sound. Tyler went across the keyboard, his hand going across the keys. Everything seemed good, and we turned to Archer.
"What should we play?" Sky asked, holding the drumsticks firmly in her hands. Tyler shrugged, not knowing much. Archer decided to go towards the small computer-set-up, typing a few things before a smile appeared on his face. He pressed a few more tings, going across the screen with the mouse before stopping. He turned to Erin.
"Can you fly to my house and grab the papers I just printed?" He asked, causing Erin to have a puzzled look. He sighed and was preparing to explain, but was cut off by Erin flying up with her wings and soaring through the forest, leaving a few leaves to float in the air before falling down softly. A few minutes later she returned, holding sheets of papers in her hands. She handed them to Archer, who had a surprised look on his face. I giggled a bit as he tried to recover himself, passing a paper to Sky and Tyler before handing one to me. I looked down and noticed that mine was written down in English. Turned out I was good at English, because I didn't need to learn it in order to read it. I realized that Archer had taken the lyrics from a song and had them printed out on the paper. I read them through, noticing that some parts were indicated to be sung alone by Tyler, Sky or Archer.
After going through some things, and the others had practiced some parts of the music, we were ready to try it with music and song.
"Ready? 1, 2, and 1, 2, 3!" Archer began, Sky tapping the count with her drumsticks. They started, the song beginning with some energy. Soon, the first part of the song with lyrics started, and already everything went well. We kept going, sometimes making a few minor mistakes, but really doing things well. We finished after a few minutes, and Erin and Rayleigh were clapping, a smile on their face. We breathed out, relieved that we had started well. It took a moment before we realized that it was now official. We were a band now.
"How should we be called?" Tyler asked, panting a bit from the try-out. Sky and I shrugged, not really sure. Archer's face suddenly light up, a smile forming.
"How about The Enders?" He asked, causing the others to think. I wasn't sure why he chose that, until he noticed this. "Because our lead singer is an Endergirl?"
I blushed, now realizing that he chose the name because of me. My eyes darted down towards my feet, that were shuffling across the stage. I heard agreeing from the others until it all went quiet. I looked up and saw that everyone was looking at me with expecting eyes. I realized they also wanted my approval.
I gathered my courage together and shyly nodded, some cheer coming from everyone. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and looked up to face Archer, smiling at me.
"Lets take a small break and then try something else." Sky said, standing up from her drums. Tyler and Archer agreed and I simply followed, still a bit surprised to know that Archer named the band because of me.
'He really cares for me.'
We took a simple break, but I couldn't stop thinking about what Archer did.
Perspective: Archer
We now knew a few things about the band:
1: Sky is a MASTER with the drums! She was able to keep up with what we all considered as the hardest drum-solo in human history!
2: Andrea can't sing super-fast. When we tried to test this, she failed to keep up with the third-fastest lyrics I found on the internet.
3: I'm the BEST when it comes to guitar-solos, if I do say so myself. I had finished playing the longest guitar-solo I ever played, and the rest could only gasp and stare. They were blown away!
I put the guitar away and grabbed the plastic cover. Everyone else had already put their stuff away, and I was the one to assure that they remained dry if it would rain tonight.
I finished preparing everything for next time and jumped from the stage, landing perfectly on the ground, but unfortunately in a small puddle, kicking a bit of water into the air and partially soaking my shoes.
'Dang-it.'
I followed the rest, who had decided that we had 'practiced' enough for today. We all went our own ways and soon it was me, Andrea and Erin, walking down the same path to my house. Erin this time was challenging herself to jump from branch to branch, sometimes just making it across a big gap thanks to her wings.
"Don't fall!" Andrea called after her BFF, who ignored her friends worry and jumped across a big gap, reaching the other branch by just an inch. We both held our breath, but sighed as the Dragongirl made it onto the branch.
We quickly reached the house, me the one to unlock it and Erin the first to get inside, running into the living room and dropping into the sofa. I checked the clock and found that it was time for dinner, heading towards the fridge and grabbing everything I needed.
After about half an hour of cooking, we were all sitting at the table, eating well. Andrea complimented me on the perfectly-cooked meat, to which I rubbed my neck. Erin ignored the both of us and finished first before flying (thank god not literary) into her room, the door almost slamming shut behind her. We stared at the grey-haired eagerness to get into her room, before shrugging it of.
"Erin." We said in unison, catching the both of us off-guard. We laughed a bit at it before going back to eating.
I had just checked on the Minecraft-server, deeming it fine, aside of the now common extra Endermen-activity nearby. I put the computer of, finding Andrea in my bed, thankfully close to one side so there was place for me, sleeping.
'Bet she's exhausted after all the practicing of today.'
I quickly changed myself to my nightwear and softly settled in the half-occupied bed. I remembered how I woke up this morning with an Endergirl next to me in the couch, her hand holding mine, fingers intertwined. I blushed at the memory, my mind trying to wrap itself around it this time.
'Can it be that she likes me? I actually hope she does. Oh, that would be incredible!' I thought before my thoughts started to slip away, the softness of the pillow and Andrea's soft breathing making me sleepy. And together with the hard work of today, I found that it was useless to fight it.
I dropped my head on the pillow and closed my heavy eyes, falling asleep in mere seconds.
"AU!"
Andrea yelped at Tyler pulling a bit to hard on her hair. He grabbed the comb and quickly went through her hair before taking the scissor laying on the sink. He cut a bit off from the dark hair, the bits of hair softly falling down on the already littered floor.
We had discovered that their hair-color is natural, impressing all of us. That made Tyler very happy though, as he had been practicing his barber-skills. Although with a bit of encouraging, Andrea and Erin agreed to having their actually very long hair cut. And just in time.
Tomorrow is the first school-day, and the girls needed to be dressed to the dress-code of the school. Our school didn't participate in the uniforms, believing that to be a 'waste of money and clothing'. I actually agreed to that, but it turned out that instead they placed a dress-code for everyone to follow. Although the boys didn't complain about the low limit on how short the skirts were allowed to be, the girls didn't like how short their hair had to be: To the shoulders, not to the waist. The boys on the other hand hated the rule that stated that caps weren't allowed on school. Hoodies luckily didn't account for that, but they still had to be of the head during classes.
Tyler finished cutting Andrea's hair, who sighed of relieve that she finally was freed from his 'torturement'. I liked her hairstyle, now a bit less, but still nice. He had put two purple bands in her hair, making it narrow from her head towards the end, ending in a nice puff of hair. Andrea agreed with that after looking into the mirror, until being disrupted by Erin shouting at Tyler, not seeming to like his firm hand.
We finally were done, and Erin's hair had been cut towards the top of her shoulder, a few strains hanging across her shoulder. I swore I saw Rayleigh smile a bit at her new look, but shrugged it of and focused on the next task: Getting the girls properly dressed. I looked at Tyler, who already seemed to be imagining all sorts of outfits. I tapped him on the shoulder, the boy gazing at me with that unique look of his that said 'what do you want?'
"Remember that there are rules. And you're the one that's going to pick the dressed for the girls." I said, hitting the boy with my shoulder in his side. He gave me a quick glare, not happy with me disturbing his train of thoughts. He sighed, realizing there wasn't much use to fighting me and turned to the many racks of clothes in the store. We had walked towards town, deeming the girls to see the whole town with the bus a bit to early, and had walked into the nearest clothes-store. It wasn't a very chic one, most of the clothes probably second-hand, but is was good enough. The girls sat on a bench near the fitting rooms, us changing inside.
I was the first to come out, my old outfit for school from last year on. I was wearing though leather shoes, a strong pair of jeans that reached to the heels. My shirt was green, covered by my leather jacket. I had the sleeves rolled up a bit, the one part that always was a bit to large for me. Andrea her eyes fell on me, and she seemed to have lost words. I tapped her on the head, causing the girl to slap my hand away, not really seeming to like someone doing that. I rubbed my hand before looking back, Sky the next to come out.
She was wearing a pair of black pants, reaching to her tall boots with yellow accents on the edges. She had a dark-yellow shirt on, the sentence 'Darker is brighter' written in light-yellow, no cleavage at all. She had her brown-leather jacket on, a few metal spikes across the shoulder. Her pants were held tight by a belt, that had a nicely designed buckle on the front.
Rayleigh was the last to come out, his outfit this time a bit more suiting. He was wearing dark-brown shoes, a pair of jeans that seemed to fit very tight on his legs. His sweater was a kind blue, a pattern of waves going across, seeming a bit odd to me though. He didn't seem to mind, not did Erin, who had her eyes a bit wider before shaking her head, trying to seem cool. I and Andrea chuckled, and Sky eyed the Dragongirl with glaring eyes, having noticed the response to her brother's appearance.
Tyler returned after a few moments, handing the girls the clothes he had chosen. "I checked to make sure that they don't itch, so don't worry about anything."
The girls entered the fitting room, and after a few more moments, Andrea was the first to come out. My jaw would have dropped if I hadn't frozen on the spot!
She was wearing a black strap-shirt with purple bubbles, her cleavage going down far enough to make a boy sweat, but not to revealing. She also had her oversized hoodie wrapped around her waist and a small purple-black jacket to cover her shoulders. Her skirt was short, but not tiny, reaching a few inches above her knees. Her shoes were black high heels with purple straps, the heels a few inches up, but not to high. She wasn't wearing anything on her legs though, showing the sleek skin she had.
It seemed like I had been like that for a few moments, because I was pulled out of my frozen state by Sky. "She looks hot, doesn't she?" She whispered in my ear, making me blush furiously. I shook my head and tried to recompose myself, but Erin had just walked out to, and this time we found Rayleigh to be the one frozen, but I and Tyler also couldn't help but gulp.
She was wearing a dark-purple shirt with the cleavage a lot shorter then Andrea's, making me wonder if Tyler chose the difference in depth to taunt me. She had a longer skirt to, but understood that for her age short was a bit 'to much'. She had her normal black boots on, but she also had dark-purple stockings on. Lastly though, we found her wearing a jacket that reached to her knees with white spikes on the edges, looking very suspiciously like her leather-robe from The End. She was hiding her wings (obviously), but it looked like there was a spot cut out for them on the back. We turned to Tyler, who looked around to see if no one could hear him before he started explaining.
"I couldn't help but give her that 'dragon-like' appearance. It suits her! Also she asked me personally to assure that her wings have place to appear, so she can go somewhere fast when she needs to. I'm not going to let her ruin her clothes for emergencies!"
We could only agree with his choice and Sky tapped her younger brother from his stare, who tried desperately to hide himself blushing. We left the things as they were, deeming the appearance-part done. We had already tested the girls on their knowledge, discovering Erin to be a physics-expert and Andrea to understand maths very well and be very handy with tools. I myself am very good with tools to, so found that something useful for the both of us.
We left the store after paying for the clothes, a small dent in all our accounts. We decided that that was enough of the town for today and left back home, walking through the forest.
We suddenly reached a small lake and decided that a break was good, sitting down on the grass. I sat down on a small pier and looked into the water, spotting a few fish swimming around.
"Can you fish here?" Andrea asked, sitting next to me, her legs swinging across the edge of the pier. I pointed to a sign stating 'no fishing', and She nodded, now aware that there are rules for these kind of things.
After a moment, I smelled something strange in the air. I turned to the rest and spotted Erin standing up from her spot near Rayleigh. She sniffed the air and her eyes went wide. I looked into the direction she had turned to and spotted something towering above the trees.
'smoke.'
...
"FOREST FIRE!"
We all stood up and Erin quickly formed her wings on her back, somehow managing to grab Rayleigh and pulling him into the air. We all ran (and Erin and Rayleigh flew) towards my house, the fire now also starting to reach the trees near the lake. I didn't understand how a fire could have started if it had rained two days ago, but turned my attention to Andrea, who had tripped over a rock in the path. I grabbed her by the hand and helped her up, the girl panting a bit. I pulled her onwards by the hand, feeling a strange sensation of a déja-vu. We reached the path leading into my house and stopped before the door, Erin dropping Rayleigh on the lawn nearby. I turned towards the spot where the fire was and saw the smoke towering above the treetops, but was relieved to hear the sirens of the firetrucks heading this way. Andrea and Erin didn't understand why we were relieved to hear that strange noise and we quickly explained, the girls understanding in the end.
"Why aren't we going inside?" Erin asked, her hands shaking a bit. Andrea was breathing heavy, tired from the running.
"A house is like a trap during a forest-fire, and especially if that house is surrounded by trees. You can get trapped inside by the fire and be boiled alive." I explained, Erin nodding in understanding. Sky and Tyler gave an agreeing 'mhm' and Rayleigh simply nodded, his arms crossed together. I noticed the smoke to stop moving and deemed the situation under control. We all stayed outside, watching the smoke in the distance clear out and the sirens of the firetrucks sound, until they stopped and the smoke was gone. I checked one last time and finally sighed, relieved that this went well.
"That could have turned out worse then thought.
Perspective: Unknown
'That could have gone worse.'
I unplugged the last wire and looked at the big tank standing in the middle of the room. I gazed at the dark blob suspended inside, the lights inside off. I turned towards the monitor and checked everything to be extra sure, sighing in relieve to find everything stable.
"How did the test go?" The man asked from inside the open door, almost making me jump. I took a deep breath.
"The test went well, although the subject seems to be annoyed with the limit we gave him to his new powers. I think he's ready to go full-out, sir."
"I will tell you when it's ready, and it isn't. And stop calling it a 'he'! The subject can not and may not start remembering it's past like the last one did. When we discovered it had, it was already to late. That's how we lost Dewey like that." The man responded, the power he possessed clear in his voice. I gulped at his remark and nodded, fearing a continuation of his battering. Luckily enough he dismissed me and I left the room, closing the door behind me with the four-digit code.
I was walking down the hall when I heard a strange voice from inside a room nearby. I knew that it was against regimentation's, but I pressed my ear against the sliding-door and focused.
"The subjects are almost ready for first testing. Soon we'll be able to start the mission, my lord." I heard faintly, but recognizing the dictatorial voice anywhere. Then a second voice joined in. A mysterious and grim one.
"You have served me well so far. I'm sure to take this into account when I'm ready to enter your world. I hope you'll be the one dealing with that situation in that town called Rightford?"
"Yes, my lord. We've already tried to burn them, but they escaped, the security against forest-fires better then expected. Next time, we're sure to end those that are in the way of our.. Uh, I mean you're mission, my lord."
I heard something of a strange noise and then footsteps closing in. I quickly hid myself in a maintenance-room nearby and peered through the small gap of the door to see the same man that always commands me around, leaving the room, appearing... Scared? He seemed to gather himself together before leaving, entering another room. I sighed of relieve, but turned my attention to what I had heard.
'Lord? Who's higher then the man that's in charge? And what is this 'mission' their talking about? And did he mention the attempt to... To KILL someone? Or worse, a group?!'
I dropped on the cold floor, realizing the mistake I made when accepting the job I had been offered.
"I should have listened to mother and kept studying for lawyer."
Perspective: Archer
First day of school. We were all waiting at the bus-stop, ready for today. We were dressed in our 'uniforms', schoolbags across our back. I had bought two for Andrea and Erin: A black with purple one for Andrea and a smaller, dark-purple one for Erin. I had a green one decorated with pine-trees, Sky had a blue one with clouds on the bottom and a sun in the middle, Rayleigh had a simple dark-blue one, and Tyler had a red one with a few bits of rainbow-colored string hanging from the side, an extra he had added when he was younger.
We weren't the only ones waiting, but this was the first time that we were all waiting together, as a group. Normally Sky and Rayleigh would take the bus from a stop further away, closer to their house, but because their mother allowed them to stay in the motel for the rest of the last week, they would be taking the one close to me and Tyler.
It was about a few minutes driving, picking up some more students from other stops, before reaching school, with five minutes to spare.
The bus arrived, an old yellow school-bus that was been used for a few decades now. The seats were old and worn, bits of the leather torn on missing everywhere. The town didn't really pay for a new one, just to keep this one running. We stepped on and went to a group of empty seats, allowing the group to stay together.
We had decided that for the first week we would help the girls along to get used to school. There were three rules: Don't teleport (for Andrea), No flying (for Erin), and not a word about Minecraft for the both of them. The bus started moving, Andrea and Erin surprised at that we were moving without doing anything. I was sitting next to Andrea with Tyler, behind us Sky and Rayleigh with Erin in the middle. We formed three groups of two: Andrea and me, Erin and Rayleigh (because they are the only ones going a few classes lower) and Sky and Tyler as backup. I enjoyed the plan, but didn't like a small part of it: That Andrea would be in the same class with me. Not because that means she's with me all the time, but about the boys and girls in my class.
The boys, well... They are just straight perverts! And the girls only seem to care about appearance and popularity. Sky was the only other person in MY class that I trusted. Tyler went to a different class because he was much smarter then we were, but we met on the playground about a year ago, when he was looking for somewhere to live. Back then, I could never imagine he would actually move to a house nearby mine just because we were friends!
The bus stopped at the last stop, now actually starting to enter the town. The girls looked around in awe, amazed at the buildings that made up the place: Residences, shops and a few factories were scattered around, a simple church at the town-center, nearby the town-hall. The town had an old marketplace, but it wasn't really used for that purpose anymore, only sometimes housing a few stands during holidays and celebrations. The town in it's whole was only around 100 years old, actually very new if you take it that the oldest town in the whole country is more then 600 years old!
We finally stopped at the school, almost right in front of the gate leading inside. We all stepped of, the girls very close to us. Andrea had somehow ended up holding my arm the whole walk across the open-ground without catching anyone's attention. She was very scarred having to go somewhere with so many people. I and Erin were the only ones she fully trusted, even having a few doubts about Tyler.
Sky kept a wary gaze at everyone, daring some to come closer then she and Rayleigh allowed. This was the first time that I actually seemed to be noticed by many of the students from school, in the past always having been the one everyone ignored. A part in me actually wished for that to have remained the case, but I guess that having a girl clasped to your arm was an eye-catcher. We made it to our lockers, me and Andrea sharing one because all the others were occupied. I at first was surprised at this, but didn't mind though. I only couldn't help but find that somehow Tyler or Sky were somewhere behind the fact it was me and not Rayleigh and Erin. I couldn't keep the fact that they seemed to match perfectly to stay out of my head, but was pulled from my thoughts when Andrea waved her hand in front of my eyes. I blinked and looked at the Endergirl, who gestured to everyone moving. I had zoned out so much that I missed the bell! We quickly got on our feet and followed the flow of students until we made it all to our respective classes.
We entered my class, and I immediately regretted bringing Andrea to my class. The boys started looking our way and the girls stopped chatting to glare at Andrea, who shook a bit. The teacher motioned for me to sit down on my regular spot, the class the same one from last year. I gave Andrea a confident smile, to which she nodded a bit before gulping, looking into the class. I sat down on my seat, a spot free right next to me, as no one would ever want to sit next to me, the unpopular guy.
"Alright, class. First, I want to say how nice it is to see so many familiar faces." Miss Belarum began, our teacher for English and Maths. "But of course we can't forget about a new face among the group. Everyone, say hello to Andrea. She is going to be in this class for the rest of this school-year. Andrea, would you like to tell something about yourself?"
The Endergirl stopped shaking, frozen in space. Of course she would be scared to tell something about herself! What can she say? Would she even dare to say something? A lump passed down her throat, her eyes going around frantically. Already I could hear whispers coming from the girls, a more audible one from one of the boys.
"She looks hot."
My mind froze at that. I would dare to say 'cute' or 'beautiful', but 'hot'? I never liked that word. It pulled out the wrong side of a girl, I found.
"I-I really like t-to sing, and... I-I..." Andrea tried to say, but she choked on her words. I could see that she wasn't having it easy, and my eyes turned to the teacher, who also seemed to have noticed that this wasn't going to go well. For a moment, Miss Belarum looked towards me, and in that flash I could see she had noticed everything she needed to know.
"How about you just take a seat?" Our teacher said, bringing a sigh of relief from Andrea. She quickly maneuvered herself to the seat next to, causing some gasps to come from the girls and some glares from the boys to me. I little sweat escaped me, but I quickly found Sky, who had been the first in the class actually, giving her own glares to the students, a few quickly correcting themselves to pay attention to Miss Belarum, who started explaining everything about this last year.
'RING!'
I sighed at the bell that showed it was time for lunch-break. I packed my things, helping Andrea get all the books she had received from our teachers in her own bag. We were the first to leave the class, Sky right behind us. On the way to the mess-hall, we caught up with the others.
We sat down at an empty bench after getting our foods, and we dug in, Andrea and Erin once more savoring the flavor from the food, even though it was school-made. We couldn't complain though, as our school could very well be the only on in the whole country that actually served food that seemed edible and had some form of flavor.
"How did things go for you?" Sky asked to Rayleigh and Erin. The two shared a glance before the latter tried to hold back a laugh.
"She quickly put everyone on their spot, even Mr. Grood!" Rayleigh said, seeming amused with the situation. We tried to understand what he meant until we saw that all the kids from their class avoided making eye-contact with the duo. I realized what they meant and had to try and suppress a laugh to. Andrea and Sky quickly followed, but Tyler still seemed a bit lost.
"And you?" Erin asked, still a bit red in her cheeks from holding back a laugh. Andrea froze, her eyes getting a bit smaller and the smile she had a moment ago gone. I couldn't smile anymore, either. I put a hand on her back, the Endergirl giving a small nod at the act of kindness.
"I hate the boys from my class." I said, a growl in my voice. Tyler and Rayleigh glanced at me with surprise. I never said something like that aloud. Not with the chance to get caught.
"One tried to hit on Andrea when we switched classed for Physics." Sky explained, after I didn't say anything else. I felt my heart clench a bit as it came back to me. The boy's name was Calus, and he was known for many things. The one thing that everyone said about him: He supposedly lost his virginity when he was 14. My mind had gone wild when he tried to hit on Andrea, and if Sky hadn't stepped in-between , I would have surely hit the guy with my fist. Andrea wasn't having it easy.
The girls surely want her off the school, and I wouldn't even dare imagine what the boys would do to her... That last part made me squeeze the fork I was holding. Tyler coughed in his hand, causing my mind to snap back. My hand let go of the fork, that suddenly seemed a lot thinner. 'Did I just...?'
"You seem to have more strength then you realize." Rayleigh noted, answering my thought. Erin and Tyler nodded in agreement. Sky shook her head at that and returned to her plate with food. Andrea still seemed out of the world though, and I shook her slightly. She snapped out of her thoughts and looked up, noticing the worried look on my face. A small smile passed her face, but quickly faded away when she noticed someone closing in on our table.
"Hey there. Mind if I join?" The boy said, and I looked up. A gasp escaped me as I recognized who it was.
"Connar." I growled, anger in the back of my throat. I frowned at the boy who had appeared at our table.
"Hello, Archy." He said with a tease, causing my anger to only grow. I HATED that nickname.
"Go away, Connar." Sky said bluntly, causing the boy to look to the rest of us by the table. When he and Tyler met though, I saw Tyler frown for the first time in ages.
"Don't you want an old friend to step by? Don't you care for me anymore, my sweet little Girlfriend, Sky?"
That was the drop. I stood up from my seat and walked over to Connar, who seemed surprised at the fact I was doing something instead of ignoring him.
"Go away. We don't want cheaters like you here." I scolded, sounding more serious then normal. Connar seemed thrown back by the sudden increase in courage from me and growled inside his mouth before going away, leaving us with a stunned 15-year old and a baffled, semi-angered good friend.
"Why did he say 'girlfriend' against Sky?" Tyler was the first to ask. Rayleigh ignored the blond and turned to his food. Erin nodded, and Andrea seemed a bit fazed by what had happened. Her eyes followed me, showing me that look like I had suddenly turned into someone else for a moment.
"Connar used to go out with Sky two years ago. One day she caught him sapping around with a girl from another class, and it wasn't long before she decided to dump him after finding out he had cheated on her." I explained, the memory still well inside my head. It was the only time I ever found Sky crying after school. She had indeed dumped him, but he didn't seemed impressed in the slightest. He even dared to ask if there wasn't a chance he could have two girlfriends. 'The bastard.'
"The bitch took him away from me. And he didn't seem to care a bit." Sky suddenly spat, her voice ignited by anger. I nodded, and Tyler seemed to agree. Rayleigh wasn't surprised to see his sister like that, but Andrea and Erin seemed a bit lost on things.
"Is that really so bad? More opportunity with a threesome, right?" Erin said plainly.
I choked on the food in my throat, coughing hard. My mind was fazed by three things about how and what Erin had said. Firstly, how could she even think that? My mind was already having it hard to hold back my fantasy from going into overdrive! Secondly, how she could say that like it was nothing special, and lastly how she even knew that! She is only 15, my god's sake! Sky was trying her best not to choke on her glass of lemonade, Tyler tried hard to hide the massive blush on his face, even Rayleigh had spat a bit of his yogurt on the table, just missing Andrea's plate. The Endergirl was staring into space, her eyes narrowed down to spots. Erin looked around like she had said something wrong, which she had!
"Wha-... How even...? Why the fuck would you even say that?!" Tyler managed to blurt out, catching himself to late. I was a bit surprised at his reaction. Sky was surprised to, but actually seemed to be... Blushing? Since when does she blush?
"Let's not go there, Ery. I think that they don't need to know anything about... It." Andrea said, having snapped out of her mind. I raised an eyebrow, but my stomach suggested me to agree with the Endergirl, who seemed to be holding back a blush of embarrassment. Erin thought a bit before nodding, but still seemed to be unfazed with her words.
We tried to keep the rest of the lunch-break as calm as possible, only talking about more casual things like homework, of which we've got plenty!
'Ring!'
The bell signaled the end of the break. Andrea sighed a bit, some fear crawling on her face as she noticed who was on sitting at the desk next to us in class.
"Calus. Oh, brother." I sighed, sitting down. I decided to put myself between him and Andrea, who breathed a bit of relief knowing that I wasn't going to let him do anything else.
"Alright, class. Today we'll be talking about the one thing everyone of you might have known once: The science behind Love!" Our teacher announced, causing me to straighten up a bit. I noticed that Andrea seemed a bit interested with the subject. 'Good lord.'
'Ring, ring, ring!'
The last bell sounded, and class was finished. We all left the doors of the main-hall and left outside, the open-ground filled with students leaving, the bus packed full.
"I don't think there's a spot for you. Sorry." The bus driver said to me after I asked if there was still space. I sighed and stepped from the bus, the doors closing behind me.
"Guess that means a hearty walk to our houses." Sky said, pulling her bag up a bit. Rayleigh nodded, and we all left to our houses. Sky and Rayleigh left to their parental house, remembering that the motel wasn't an option anymore: Their mother insisted they would come back home after first school-day. Tyler soon was far ahead of me and Andrea, Erin going at a quick pace too.
"How about you two look in the town and I bring Erin to your place. I've got the spare-key." Tyler suggested after we had walked quite a way, making me blush a bit. Was he seriously leaving me and Andrea alone in town?
"Sounds good for me." Erin said, making Andrea freeze. I could only guess she was just as surprised as me.
"But..." I was to late, as Tyler and Erin quickly left, almost seeming to run so we couldn't catch up with them. Andrea was to shocked to even consider teleporting after them. They vanished behind a corner, leaving me and Andrea there in the middle of town.
"So... What would you like to see first?" I asked, trying to break the silence that had fallen down. That seemed to snap her to reality, because she started to blush and she tried to muster something from her mouth. Noticing she wouldn't be able to, I decided for her.
"How about something to eat?"
Andrea nodded, happy that I took the initiative. I thought about where to go, until I remembered a place we once went to eat when my mother was still home.
We walked through town, trying to talk about school and life to try and keep the mood high. Rightford wasn't a place really to go and eat, because famous restaurants wouldn't come to a town like this one, so far away from good-paying customers.
We finally arrived at the restaurant. It was called 'ché Freddy', and the owner was called, ironically enough, Freddy Trouboi. He wasn't really a Frenchman, especially lacking the the accent, and the meals weren't all French.
Luckily, you didn't have to get a reservation to be able to eat. We took a look around and settle with a table with two chairs at the window. The waiter was quick to arrive, handing us the menu's. I glanced down at the different meals that were written down, remembering a few from last time. I noticed Andrea her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the many different foods the restaurant served. Sure, it was delicious, and people always left a good tip for the kind waiters, but the one thing that made it so special was the man at the bar. I noticed that today was a lucky day, and stood up from my seat, already decided on my meal. Andrea looked up with an expression of surprise. "I'm getting a drink." I said, to answer her thoughts. She nodded and I went to the bar.
"Archer! Good to see you, kiddo." The man said after noticing me. I smiled seeing the somewhat late-age man again after so many years. I hadn't visited the place in some time, especially not after my mother left for her work.
"You know him?" I jumped a bit, Andrea having snuck behind me. She and the man met eyes, and I got worried she would teleport away, considering the way he sometimes could be. I was glad though to see that he wasn't going to scare her to quickly, as he turned to me and gave me a wink, showing he understood the situation already.
"Who's the nice girl, hey? A new friend, Archer?" He asked, turning to the work he had at the bar. Andrea blushed a bit at the comment, not used to it. I wasn't sure what to say. Tell him that she's from a game and is hiding from creatures that only live inside that very game? I shook a bit and decided that some things still needed to remain secret and stuck to the story we had planned.
"She's staying here for school. I offered her and her friend, Erin, to stay at my place. You know, without mom there is a lot more space inside. You know how she was when she left, don't you?" I explained, deciding to sit down at the bar. Andrea stepped a bit closer, curious where this was going. I never really talked much about what happened between me and my mother.
"Oh, I still remember. You know I can't forget about that. You really think I'd forget about my own daughter?" The man answered, a small smirk on his face. I looked to Andrea, who now was clicking the things together before realizing what was going on. I had secretly brought her to meet my grandfather!
"Are you Archer's grandfather?!" Andrea said, having made the connections fit. I couldn't help but snicker a bit. My grandfather his smirk turned into a laugh, surprising a few of the people in the restaurant.
"Sure am! Although we don't really talk this much. Long time since you've been here, hasn't it? Been busy, I can guess?" My grandfather/bartender asked. I nodded before noticing that the waiter had finished getting the order from the last table, now heading to ours. I gestured Andrea for us to go back to our table, giving my grandfather a little wave and the promise to talk again soon. We arrived just in time, the waiter stopping at our table.
"You know what to order?" The young man asked with a polite smile. I nodded and gestured to the menu to show what I wanted. Andrea quickly did the same and the waiter left, entering the kitchen through the double-doors behind the bar.
Whilst we waited I told Andrea some more about my grandfather: His name is Alfredo Redonia. I had to explain that my last-name is from my dad when Andrea noticed that we didn't share the same last-name. He worked in the restaurant for a long time, and my mother would sometimes bring me here to eat so she could see her old man again. After she left I didn't really come back, having focused more on school and my friends then the family I had left. Andrea decided to ask me if I had anymore family, but I decided to keep that a secret, contemplating that I would tell her another day.
The waiter arrived with our meals, and Andrea turned her attention to dig into the plate filled with goodness. I ate at a slower pace, enjoying the flavors but also the time I could have with Andrea. Sure, we already had a lot of time together, but with Erin around it felt a bit like I was left out a bit. They've been best friend since they were kids, but I still felt like I'd got to know Andrea a lot better in these past weeks then in Erin did in a whole year. I still felt like there were things I didn't know about her, like how her life in The End was like, but I felt like that was something not to mention to soon. 'Meeting parents won't be possible, I guess.' My mind at one point concluded after going through the one thing I had started to question.
"Do hybrid's have parents?" I asked to myself under my breath. I quickly looked up in the hoped that I hadn't caught Andrea with my question, but she was (luckily enough) to focused on eating to listen to what was happening around herself.
It was a valid question though. Do hybrids have parents? Or are they 'born' in labs? And how are they send into the world of Minecraft? 'I think there's a lot more to this then it seems like.'
I was caught out of my thoughts by a glass falling on the ground, shattering. I looked up, but didn't see where it had happened. My mind suddenly chose to make me look at the bar, and that's when I noticed it: My grandfather was clinging to his chest, breathing heavily. I stood up from my chair and rushed over to him. I grabbed hold of his arm and helped him to stay up. Andrea had noticed I wasn't at the table anymore and came closer, having left the food for what it was.
"Everything alright, grandpa?" I asked, seriously worried. He looked to me and I could see the guilt in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, me'boy. I wanted to tell you at one point. I couldn't find the courage to. I'm sorry." My grandfather started, trying to get himself upright. I helped him to sit down on one of the stools at the bar. "I haven't really been in top-shape anymore the past few weeks. I went to see the doctor and..."
"And?" I asked, now as nervous as heck. What was so important that not even my grandfather had found the courage to tell me?
"And... I'm sick, Archer. I'm sick and the doctor wants me to go to a hospital. But I can't. I won't." My grandfather finished. My breath stopped in my throat. This couldn't be. It couldn't! Was I really going to lose him? My grandfather?! The one family-member I seem to have left?!
"Why not?!" I said, almost yelling. I couldn't help it, a few tears going down my cheeks. I caught people their attention, but didn't care.
"I'm old. I've seen enough of the world, of live. I've only had your mother, my wife died years ago. When my daughter left, all that seemed to matter was work, sleep and eat. I lost my purpose on life. Even you didn't come back to see me." I couldn't help but mentally kick myself for that. I had fallen away into my life after my mother left. I forgot all about the other people in my life! "I don't need to live longer only to be a miserable, old man in a wheelchair. If it's my time to go, then so be it! You have to understand, I'm glad to see you again, and I'm glad to see you have started to make new friends." My grandfather pulled me closer, to him. "And I hope to see her become more then a friend." He whispered. I blushed a bit at that, but I was also glad to know at least someone I knew well approved of Andrea.
"So, how long?" I asked, a few tears still in my eyes, but already going away.
"I'm not sure. The doc thinks a few months, but he's afraid that if I keep up my work it could go towards a month, 4 weeks maybe. But it doesn't matter. I'm just glad you dropped by. Who knows, maybe I life long enough to see you again? You are going to come by once a time, right?" I nodded, allowing the last tears to flow down. I hadn't noticed it, but Andrea had come closer and was now slightly hugging my arm.
"Now, allow this old man to have some time to recover and go back to work, and you two enjoy your little date."
I blushed, Andrea let go of my arm, blushing even more. We didn't say anything tough, and went back to our table, finishing the food that was left.
"I'll see you again soon, grandpa. I promise." I said when we were preparing to go home. I hugged my grandfather, the old man allowing a small tear to escape him. Andrea was waiting for me on the sidewalk, a wide smile on her face.
We left, me waving to my grandfather before we passed around a corner. I turned to the path leading home, walking silently.
"You love him very much, don't you?" Andrea asked, breaking the silence. Not like I minded, though.
"Yeah. He kinda is the only family I have left here. Sorry you had to see him like that." I answered, trying hard to keep tears from leaving me. I had to be strong, for the both of us.
"I'm happy you could see him again. You're lucky, you have family, I... I don't..." Andrea her mood slumped, and I swear I saw a tear in her eyes. It broke my heart to hear that, and I couldn't allow her to feel so bad. I had to do something, something...
I grabbed her hand, the Endergirl surprised at first but soon smiling a bit. She knew I would always support her.
"You have a family, now. Me, Tyler, Sky, Rayleigh, and you know Erin for years! You're not alone. You have us." I said, bringing a supporting smile on my face. Andrea blushed a bit, and looked back a bit, but she turned to me, this time a smile on.
"Thanks, Archer." Andrea said, before closing in. Was she...?
Andrea gave me a quick peck on the cheeks, and I swear my face flushed redder then red! I smiled sheepishly, not knowing what to say.
"And thanks for the date."
I suddenly felt my hand being pulled and Andrea did something I never experienced before. She pulled me closer and suddenly, I saw everything around us warp. Space seemed to be bended, and I saw stars and space pass us until we suddenly were in front of my house, landing softly on the grass. I blinked, trying hard to understand what had just happened.
"Did we just...? Did you just...? Did we TELEPORT?!" I yelled, trying to grasp what Andrea had just done. The Endergirl laughed at my reaction before giving me a mischievous smirk and start running inside the house. I blinked before realizing that she had planned to do that for a little while.
"Andrea!"
Perspective: Andrea
I did it!
I actually did the one thing I never thought I'd ever do. I teleported with Archer!
Sure, he doesn't know yet, and he'll probably scream at me when he finds out, but I'm so happy! I knew that what I have done is all worth it.
And then my mind slipped to what I had done BEFORE we teleported to his house. I had kissed him. On his cheek, sure, but still! My face lit up at the thought, and I couldn't help but giggle a bit. I stopped myself though, and found that, somehow, I had absentmindedly walked into Archer's room, right in front of his bed.
'Or is it our bed whilst I'm sleeping here?'
My mind froze at the thought. The word. OUR. Recently, I had learned a lot about love in Human culture. That's how I knew what his grandfather meant with 'little date', and that what Archer had done looked a lot like a date, to. And I even thanked him for it! Suddenly, the door opened, and Archer walked in with a smirk.
"Knew you were here." He said, a little taunt in his voice. Was he toying with me?
"I confess. You caught me." I joked, a little laugh escaping me at the end. I sat down on the cozy bed, Archer joining me quickly.
"Something on your mind?" He asked, his voice sounding more serious now.
"No." I lied, but in my mind I was getting nervous. He'd definitely ask me how it was that only now I teleported both of us somewhere, and not a day sooner!
"Ok. I'm going to check on Tyler, see if he hasn't blown himself up with another one of his inventions." He said, getting up from the bed and walking away. I was alone, but I didn't feel like it. I had Archer, Tyler, Sky and Rayleigh. And not to mention Erin!
'I hope this never ends.'
Perspective: Archer
"Erin, can we talk." I said, catching the Dragongirl off guard for a moment. She had been curiously watching Tyler, who was busy working on a little invention on the table in the backyard.
"Sure, what about?" She answered, allowing me to sit down next to her on the grass.
"Did Andrea ever... Teleport the two of you somewhere?" I asked, a bit nervous about something so personal. Erin her stance changed quickly. She sat up straighter, her skin seemed to pale a little and her eyes grew little. Did I ask something wrong?
"She did what?!" I was pounded by her yell, almost falling down on the semi-damp grass.
"Well, after we left from the restaurant," Erin her eyes grew a bit bigger and she seemed to be listening fully for the first time in ever. "We walked a bit before I told her she has us as a family, after she said she doesn't have a family."
"Well, Hybrids aren't born naturally like humans are. We don't really have true parents, and I only considered the Ender Dragon as my mother because we shared similar DNA. I'm glad you helped her, but when did she teleport you?" Erin explained, her voice turning more serious when she reached the 'teleport' section.
"After she... She gave me a kiss on the cheek and thanked me for the 'date'." I said, relieved to have finished saying that. I felt a weight drop from my shoulders having said that. I looked at Erin. She first showed no sign of emotion, until I saw some sort of light in her eyes. Her stance softened, her shoulders slumping down a bit. Her skin regained full color, and she even smiled. Actually, she laughed!
"What's so funny?" I asked, genuinely confused. Erin suddenly turned to me with a serious look, albeit I wondered how serious it really was.
"One thing you don't know about Endermen or women. They usually teleport themselves, and no one else. You know why?" Erin said, her voice gaining in seriousness. I shook my head, still not understanding what was going on.
"Because the person an Enderman or girl teleports also becomes the ONLY person they can teleport. It's considered a way to show affection to that person. To show he or she loves him or her."
My mind went blank for a split-second, my heart felt like it dropped from a twenty-story tall building. Andrea could only teleport one person? And that person becomes the only person she can teleport? It is to show affection? To show me that she... That she... L-loves me?!
"Archer Romanos, you just received the Ender-style way of a love-proposal. The question and immediate answer that she wants to be your girlfriend. Now, you have to answer. Do something you would only do for someone YOU love!" Erin said, her voice plain, with a bit of tease. I didn't care for that though. It all made sense now. Why she seemed so nervous and stressed afterwards. Why she had run off. She had done something she would and could only do for the person she LOVES! And... She did it for me... The last person on the world who would be loved or would ever find love had just been told... Well kinda told, that someone loves me! And I love her! My mind was frozen, and didn't seem to budge anytime soon.
"Archer?"
"Archer?!"
ARCHER?!"
I snapped from my frozen state and was now face to face with a worried Tyler and a sidestepped Erin. I saw she had a scowl on her face towards Tyler, who seemed to have been shaking me for about a few minutes now.
"W-what?" I said, still a bit dazed.
"Did that Dragongirl do anything to you? Hypnosis, trauma-implementation, anything of that sort?" Tyler asked, his voice quicker then usual and his eyes smaller from worry. He seemed to be shaking a bit, and I noticed that the invention he had been working on was burned to a crisp.
"What happened?" I asked, trying to get the situation under control. I stood up, and immediately regretted it, my back a bit sore.
"You had been sitting like that for a few minutes, and I got worried Erin had done something to you. I scolded to her and she in response burned my invention." Tyler summed everything together, giving Erin a glare before turning to me again. Did he just have an argument with Erin for me?
"I'm fine, really. I just... Andrea, she... S-she teleported me, and Erin told me that Endermen or girls can only do that once, and so... It means that she... That she loves me..." I said, trying to grasp it myself. I stuttered, something I normally don't do with Tyler around. The blond himself now had his mouth in a gape, his voice trying to bring something out, but failing miserably. Erin seemed a bit relieved, allowing a sigh with a little fire to escape her.
"See, told ya!" Erin said, snapping Tyler from his own daze. He looked at the Dragongirl with a scowl, before turning a bit embarrassed. He gave Erin a quick apology before looking at the house behind me. I turned around, and found Andrea, looking out the window, her faze a bit pale. She had probably seen what happened and now was worried sick!
"I think I'm gonna explain her what happened before she teleports of to Notch knows where." Erin said, walking away into the house. I nodded before looking at Tyler, who now looked a bit sad.
"What's the matter?" I asked, a bit worried at the condition of my friend.
"It's just... Archer."
"Yes?" I asked, now noticing that Tyler had thought very long before telling me this.
"I think... I think I'm in love with Sky."
My jaw dropped down, my mind baffled for another time in the past hour. I found the logic in my love for Andrea, and I was still going through the fact she showed me she loves me, but that he loved, off all girls, Sky?! I looked back at what had been going on between them recently. After they met for real a few weeks ago, their attitude towards each other surely had changed, and I couldn't blame they seemed to match well, but that HE was the first to figure it out, the one that's normally lost in all social things. THAT baffled me the most.
"Archer?"
I snapped back, finding myself gazing into the sky (ironically), Tyler still standing there, with a very worried look.
"OK. Today, seriously, has been a day with more surprises then I'm used to! You sure about that?"
"Not really, but I did find the logic in my behaviour around her recently. You think it's just a crush?" Tyler asked, his hands now fiddling around with a pen he brought up from god knows where.
"You're asking me?" Tyler nodded.
'Dear lord, what's going on with today?!' I sighed, trying hard to not yell right on front of my BFF. I tried to bring the past few weeks down to the behaviour Tyler and Sky had been showing towards each other. A moment later, my mind was clear.
"I don't think it's a crush." I said, causing Tyler to be the one dazed now. I waited for a few seconds before shaking him. Finally, after at least the tent or so shake, he came back to reality, and I saw a mixture of happiness, nervousness and relieve in his eyes. He breathed in and out heavily, trying to get everything together. I was always very calm in these moments, allowing Tyler to gather himself together. It took a while, but he stopped after a few moments and looked into the direction of the town, a small smile on his face.
"Guys, are we going to get our homework done or are you going to stay there for the rest of the day?!" Erin called to us. I smiled a bit, trying to figure out how to act around Andrea, knowing what she had done, and I noticed that Tyler was a bit scared, afraid that Erin would burn him or something like that.
"Coming!" I shouted, the first to run inside, Tyler tailing behind me.
Perspective: Unknown
I was rolling around in my bed, trying hard to sleep, but failing every time. My mind was someplace else, someplace I was hoping to forget.
'Rightford.'
It was my home. It was where I grew up. Where I left for my own life. Yet, now, it seemed like a place to dread. A place to avoid. It didn't feel like home anymore.
"Why? Why is home something so strange?" I sighed to myself, still not able to sleep.
"You feeling well?" A voice called out from the bed underneath mine. The room we were in was for 4, two bunk-beds at either side. I had claimed the one on top, so the person sleeping underneath had probably woken from my stirring.
"I can't keep things out of my mind." I said, a sigh escaping me. I was feeling down, very down.
"Home?" The voice asked, now in a more kinder tone.
"Yeah. It was my home once, but now... Now I feel like I don't have a home anymore. Even this place doesn't feel like home, like I hoped it would."
"It isn't designed to feel like home, ya know. It's just meant to house workers and the materials we're using." The voice responded, this time going back to a more decent manner, remaining kind yet also a bit explaining, like a teacher would sound like when talking to her top-notch student. 'Like I ever heard that.'
"I know, it's just... I still have family there, and it just seems like I feel, like when I see them again, they'll abandon me."
"You left on short notice?" The voice asked, now a bit confused.
"Not really, it's just... You ever wonder that what we're doing is right?" I asked, now gathering everything we'd ever done together. 'doesn't feel or seem like it.'
"It isn't. It's not right, but we swore an ode, and we have to keep ourselves to it. Otherwise... You know." The voice said, her tone reaching a bit grim and dark at the last part. I knew what she meant: It meant that we would die if we didn't do our part.
"I just sometimes hope to see my brother again, soon. I really miss that guy. He was always so happy, even after what happened to Dad. He never really had luck with the girls, but he always found something to cheer himself, or us, up with." I said, memories pouring in. Happy memories, sad memories. Memories of a nice, peaceful life. The life I gave up on. And for what? Experience? Money? No, for them. So they were save.
"I hope to meet him, one day. You think he'll accept me? Or you? Knowing what we're doing here... I hope he could forgive us, or society." The voice said, reaching a melancholic tone. I could hear the sadness in her tone. I couldn't help it anymore. I jumped down from my bed and landed swiftly on the ground, right next to the person underneath me.
"We can't focus on that. Right now, we have to live. When things here get over, we can go and see him. Right now, we need to keep our eyes open for the best next shot to escape." I said, sitting down on the bed of my partner.
"Thanks. You always make me smile a bit." The person next to me said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I could feel the tenderness in the gesture and leaned in, my head resting on her shoulder.
"Sometimes, I wonder what I would do without you." I said tenderly before leaning in for a small kiss. She returned the kiss sweetly, until she looked up, her ears going side to side. She had heard something.
"What's the matter?" I asked, but my question was answered by the alarm-lights in the room going on, engulfing us in a red glow. I heard loud footsteps and screams in the hall next to the door, and not so soon after I heard a click coming from the window at the top of the wall next to us. The two guys in the bunk-bed at the other side rushed through the door after jumping from their bed, the door closing behind them. This was the shot we needed!
"Ready?" The girl asked, standing up. I could properly see her now in the red. She had white hair, green eyes, white dog-ears and a white tail. A common look for a wolf-hybrid. But she also had the increased hearing and smelling, allowing her to take everything in and see when the right moment was. And this was the one!
"Ready." I answered, a smile finally allowing to show itself after these rough weeks. I stood up and brought the mattress we were sitting on a moment ago up, revealing two plain leather bags with stuff in it: Food, camping gear and other things we thought we'd need to survive. We both grabbed a bag and went to the window, knowing the lock is off.
She jumped up first, using her strong legs to bring herself high enough to reach the window. She opened the window and crawled through. I could easily hear her landing in a bush outside. I reached up and grabbed hold to the bottom of the window, my hands trying to get me up. I felt a kind touch on my hands and felt something pulling me. I looked up and saw the kind, green eyes looking down at me. I was pulled through the window and landed on the somewhat soft, but still though leaves and branches of the bushes underneath the window. I heard a giggle and gave the wolf-hybrid a quick glare before getting up, brushing a few leaves of me.
We started running away after we looked around and deemed the area safe. We kept going, not stopping a little bit. After almost half an hour of running we finally stopped, hoping that we had made enough distance between us and the facility.
"We made it. We're free!" The girl celebrated, but I wasn't in such a cheery mood. We were free, sure, but it wouldn't take long before they notice we're gone and then... Then the hunt begins.
We decided to follow the moon in the sky, not really sure what direction to go. We walked in silence, both of us still a bit nervous to breath out. I sighed a bit. I was happy to be free, but I knew that this was only the beginning of a long struggle to remain free.
"You know, I would really like to meet your brother. What's his name?" She asked, cutting through the silence. I was a bit taken back by the question, but decided it was fair for her to know.
"Archer."
DUN Dun dun! Guess you didn't expect that, huh? Next time, expect a less long chapter. This one is the first real one that focuses more on the background of the story and the path we're headed for. Ready for more? Because I've got a massive heap of ideas ready! See you soon!